The Dragon Tamer's Silent Fall
by agent iz hyper
Summary: An almost-forgotten prophecy speaks of a great and pure power which falls under the control of another, and the lands of Albion are threatened by the darkest of magics. Only two can help him regain control, but first they must learn the whole truth...
1. Teaser

**The Dragon Tamer's Silent Fall**

**Summary:** A prophecy foretold by an ancient druid, some 500 years ago, speaks of a time when hope seems to finally be restored to Albion, when a golden era held in high reverence by magical beings all over is almost upon them - a dark force strikes and the purest of magical beings, the strongest and the one to hold all hope for the future of Albion, will fall to the control of another. His magic will be conquered and he will face a myriad of struggles to regain control as kingdoms are attacked and peace and tranquillity seem like a hopeless and distant dream...

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><p>He had never before been afraid of being backstabbed by someone close to him. And, until Morgana's betrayal, he'd never <em>had<em> reason to worry about it.

But Morgana's _backstabbing_ was quite metaphorical. He had not _actually_ been stabbed in the back by her – though he was sure she would have loved to.

But it was also due to the fact that he had never been particularly close friends with anyone before anyway – not until Merlin stumbled into his life, that is, and somehow managed to warm over the prince's previously obnoxiously cool heart and find his own place in there. And after him (and thanks to him, too), he had found himself becoming more and more attached to a different servant – Guinevere.

The others followed steadily, eventually ending up as his knights – noble-hearted Lancelot, adventure-loving joker Gwaine, Gwen's amiable brother Elyan, even Percival, quiet but strong and good-hearted. And Leon had always been there, his right-hand man – or right-hand knight, throughout the years.

But Merlin had always been first – his _first_ real friend; the first person to actually _challenge_ his thoughts and speak their mind to their prince; _always_ the first to follow him out to battle, unarmed yet without hesitation.

The first to let him know what it _was_ to have a best friend who was _loyal_ to a fault, _self-sacrificing_ to the point that his actions were almost predictable, and completely, undeniably, one hundred percent _trust-worthy_. He contradicted him in every way, yet they clicked in a fashion that it was almost as if they were _made_ to work together.

He couldn't have ever wished for a better friend, he thought.

That was, until he received the biggest shock of his life through the _ultimate_betrayal ...

When Merlin stabbed him in the back.

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><p><strong><strong>Dedicated to <span>dodo.123<span> ~ cuz it's her birthday! :D Everyone, wish her a good one, aight? ;) Cheers mate, I posted this up early just for that. :P****

**A/N**** –** There you go. Teaser. ;) I've got some pretty big plans for this story, but it will definitely take some time to write, so I thought – hey, what the heck, I'll give them a bit of a taste. The next thing I post up will be the actual prologue, and _then_ the story begins…

Review, please? And, yes, I know you guys don't know what the heck this is supposed to mean, or why the hell _Merlin_ is going around stabbing Arthur (bad boy!) – no, this isn't a dark!Merlin fic, by the way – but all questions _will_ be answered… in due time. ;) *feels smart* Lol.

Cheers~

izzy


	2. Prologue

**The Dragon Tamer's Silent Fall**

[_Five __centuries __ago__…_]

It was an eerie silence that filled the woods that fateful night. Not a sound could be heard throughout - not the murmurings of late woodland creatures nor any whisperings of life at all. There was not even a stir amongst the leaves, as though the trees themselves were holding their breath. The forest was rarely silent, and the few times it was it did not bode well for whatever event was occurring in it.

This time was no different.

It was a fearsome power that radiated throughout on this night. Not an unknown one either - no; this person had once before been here, to bear witness to a most troubling prophecy, some sixty or so winters back. But now, the people were coming forth to witness this warlock's own foretelling. A foretelling fated to be told and retold in stories for decades to come; subject to change ever so slightly as the people translated it from the Ancient Old English tongue to the common language spoken and understood amongst commoners.

A foretelling of one of the most dreaded events to befall the lands of Albion...

_**-o-**_

_Immortal __power; __to __tamer __of __the __Beast __foretold_

_An __ancient __legacy __from __centuries __to __uphold_

_The __tides __will __turn __in __Albion; __when __hope __seems __restored_

_Purest __of __magics, __fallen __into __control_

_Of __mighty __powers; __and_

_Unleash __beasts __of __the __Dark; __harbingers __of __doom __for __all_

_Hope succumbs to prevailing Darkness_

_A revered era and power, lost in flames_

_For without the Courage of the Crown_

_Nor the Strength of the Swordsmaster_

_The Beast Tamer and Lord will go down…_

_To become nothing but a puppet_

_To a twisted fate's strings_

_**-o-**_

The prophetic words were remained a mystery for centuries, and were soon forgotten by all, save the most ancient of the Druid clans. And even then, it was told in the form of a tale, any truths in its words overlooked, as they retold to their children a legend of a great magic-wielder whose powers were taken from his control by a feared sorcerer; a legend of a horrifying era in time, where an ancient Darkness swept over the lands and dominated all that was Good and Light; a legend mistaken for a mere story and nothing more…

_Until Emrys came along…_

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><p><strong>AN**** –** Next chapter, the story begins. Starting with Arthur and Merlin, of course ;) Tell me what you thought?

And here's the bit I do a bit of teeny advertising :P – my friend, Renae Shnucumbs, and I have started an AU Mafia fic for Merlin, called _Carte __Blanche: __Be __My __Hero_ (on our joint account xxx renae and izzy xxx). We'd super-uberly appreciate it if you checked it out. ;) Warnings for it are written in the bit before the fic.

Lol, that's _my_ bit done. *looks pointedly at Renae*

Cheers :D

~izzy


	3. Chapter One

**The ****Dragon ****Tamer****'****s ****Silent ****Fall**

Chapter One

Arthur looked up when his door opened and Merlin came in. Of course it would be Merlin - there was no knock. Merlin never knocked. It was just another little quirk about him that Arthur had gotten used to over the years.

Merlin didn't look up as he set down the set of clean clothes in his hands. He went about picking up the odd object from the floor and tidying the room up, not even acknowledging the prince's presence. Arthur frowned as he observed him, perched on the edge of his bed. Merlin had been like this for the last two days, and he had absolutely no idea why. It seemed like no coincidence that it had started the day that he'd given Merlin an evening off for the first time in ages, but Arthur couldn't think for the life of him what could have happened that would have given Merlin any reason to be so... so morose and... and so un-Merlin-like.

That was it. He wasn't acting like the Merlin that he knew. There was no ceaseless supply of jokes and insults at the prince, no constantly goofy grin that never seemed to disappear, and no bright and cheerful sparkle in those innocent, carefree blue eyes. Well, no - that wasn't true. Some of those things _were_ still there, but... they weren't real. Arthur was trained to read people and expressions, and he knew for a fact that Merlin's cheery facade was just that - a facade. His retorts were half-hearted at best, his smiles toned down, and his boisterous laugh almost non-existent. He seemed even _distracted_ by something… something major and drastic. What had happened to him? What could have caused such a drastic change in someone so... seemingly innocent and carefree?

Arthur didn't realise he'd been staring at the servant until Merlin stopped what he was doing, stood up and looked at him with a puzzled frown. "Any reason why you're staring at me like you're trying to figure out something very difficult, sire?"

There was another thing. The tone that he used when he said 'sire'. It wasn't exactly mocking, like before. It was... indifferent, almost. The way any normal servant would address their master. But the worrying thing was, Arthur was sure that Merlin didn't even know he was doing it. He didn't seem aware that he was acting or talking any differently. He just came in, did his job - properly and without complaints, for once - and went out. It was unnerving, and more than a little worrying.

Arthur got to his feet, noticing as he did so that Merlin seemed to involuntarily take a step back, much to his confusion. _What __was __up __with __him?_ "Just thinking," he replied, pausing to see if Merlin would take the opening for a joke about his thinking abilities, like he always did, but - nothing. Those blue eyes continued to stare at him from an almost blank expression… except for the conflict he could _see_ behind those blue irises. The strong inner conflict of someone trying not to do something he might regret. Arthur frowned and the words escaped him before he could stop them. "What is _wrong_ with you, Merlin?"

The boy jumped at the sudden exclamation, his blank look making way for a surprised one - but only for a moment, before it too disappeared. "Nothing, sire."

Arthur took the last few steps forward so he was right in front of him and pointed a finger at him accusingly. "_Don't_ try to pull that one on me, Merlin. _Something's_ wrong, and I want to know what." He glared at the younger youth, mentally berating himself for losing his cool. This wasn't going to make him open up.

Merlin shook his head slowly and turned away, returning to his cleaning. "You wouldn't understand," he said a touch bitterly. He gathered the armour in his hands and left the room without looking back.

Arthur was caught off-guard and he stared at the door, bewildered. That was the first time in the last few days he'd heard Merlin say something not in answer to being spoken to. And the first time _ever_ he heard him speak in such a tone. _You __wouldn't __understand_. Wouldn't understand _what_? What could have happened to make the usually happy-go-lucky manservant talk in a bitter tone - _regretful_, even? And why wouldn't he _tell_ Arthur anything?

Couldn't he trust him?

Arthur raked a hand through his hair agitatedly, the questions spinning in his head. He let out an aggravated huff then grabbed his sword and left the room, heading to the training grounds to relieve some of his pent-up tension.

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><p>If Arthur had thought his manservant's behaviour was peculiar then, he was completely thrown by his <em>beyond<em> peculiar behaviour the next day.

Merlin was… normal. Well, as _normal_ as _Mer_lin could be – but he was, for all intents and purposes, back to normal. It was as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened the past couple of days.

Well, that wasn't exactly true. Merlin had woken him up in his usual cheerful routine, complete with the full-blast sunshine pouring through the sharply drawn-back curtains and way-too-cheerful cry of "Rise and shine, sire!" Arthur had groaned and lobbed the nearest pillow at Merlin, hitting him smack-dab in the face for once, before realising that was his favourite pillow and having to get up. It was then that he recognising that Merlin was going around his room setting out his clothes and breakfast _normally_, a wide smile in place and blue eyes sparkling with their usual buoyancy.

And he had to take a minute to make sure that Merlin's previous behaviour hadn't just been a dream, even though he was perfectly sure it wasn't. He had not, after all, been the only one to notice it – Gwaine and Lancelot had both enquired about the younger man's quietness, concerned for the sudden change in him.

So Arthur had decided to just ask Merlin.

"So?" he had prompted, eyes fixed on the servant. "Are you going to tell me _what_ exactly that was yesterday?" He made it sound like an irritated command, not letting his concern show – something that was more subconscious, after years of being honed into him.

Merlin had paused and turned to him, and Arthur's eyes had narrowed suspiciously at the sheepish and slightly apologetic grin there, having caught his not-so-discrete flinch. And he knew that Merlin wasn't going to tell him the truth.

Just like every other time.

"Sorry about that," he had murmured, rubbing the back of his head. "I wasn't, ah, thinking straight. Tired, you know." He'd grinned at Arthur rather guiltily and shrugged, turning back to his work.

Arthur frowned at the back of his head, wondering whether or not to call him out on his obvious un-truth (it was a lot easier to think that than _Merlin __lied_), when his door had opened and a knight barged in.

The only knight who didn't knock was Gwaine, so Arthur had turned with a ready reprimand on his lips, but he stopped, puzzled, at the sight of a wide-eyed Lancelot.

"What's happened?" he asked, getting to his feet and hurriedly pulling on his clothes.

"There were sightings this morning, a large creature near the lower towns, nothing like the people have ever seen before," Lancelot told them, sending Merlin a long look afterwards, at which the latter frowned slightly then nodded. Arthur didn't miss the exchange, but he had more pressing matters to deal with at the moment.

"A magical creature?"

"Yes," the knight nodded. "They're bringing in a witness to the court room now; he'll be able to give us specifics."

Arthur nodded curtly, grabbed his sword to strap around his waist and headed out, both knight and servant following.

He had pushed the problem of Merlin's strange behaviour aside. His kingdom was being threatened. A practiced routine by now, Arthur set off to protect what was important.

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><p>The witness brought in was a farmer from one of the outlying villages. He seemed to be in shock, what with his trembling hands and seemingly-permanent wide eyed expression of horror. He looked to be about eighteen years of age, tall, with a thin weather-beaten face and callused hands from years of a farmer's work, and the Prince-Regent felt a pang of sympathy for him, having no doubt watched whatever terrible creature it was tear his home and people apart.<p>

That sympathy was soon coupled with a protective fierceness he often felt when his kingdoms - _his __people_ - were being attacked, as he listened to the man's – Sean, he said his name was – shaky recount.

"We'd been having disturbances, Sire, since yesterday… Something large was attacking our outermost crops and this morning we woke to find most the livestock slaughtered. And then – then… we don't know where- where they came from-" His voice trembled here and he shut his eyes tight, clearly trying to ward off unpleasant images.

Arthur nodded surreptitiously at Merlin, who guided Sean to a chair before he collapsed from the exhaustion and trauma, like he was no doubt about to. The rest of the court had gone completely quiet. Arthur strode forward to stand in front of the younger man, before changing his mind and crouching so he was level with him. "What exactly _were_ they? Can you tell me?" he probed quietly, keeping his expression open and trustful.

Sean bit his lip and shook his head slowly, raising his gaze so he could look the Prince in the eye. "No, I-I've never seen anything like them… They were so _fast_, and – and brutal. Didn't even see them attacking at first, until – they were right on top of us…" he took a shuddering breath and dropped his face into his hands, seeming too distressed to continue.

Arthur grimaced and stood, sensing that he wasn't about to get anymore information from the farmer while he was in this state about the mysterious creatures. He gestured Gaius over, Merlin at his heels as always.

"Look over him, Gaius," he told him. "Treat any injuries and let him get some rest. Questioning him can wait – he's obviously not fit to say anything yet. Wait until he's ready to talk, try to get a description of the beasts then."

"I'll do that," Merlin offered, explaining when Arthur raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "Gaius has some patients from yesterday's attack to deal with."

"Right. You do that." Arthur nodded and turned back to the rest of the council once Merlin helped Sean to his feet, to transfer him to the physician's chambers. The prince called Leon forward. "Sir Leon, I want you to gather the knights. Tell them to be ready to ride out in a few days' time, as soon as we have all the information we need on these creatures. For those who have lost their homes, they can seek refuge in Camelot until matters are dealt with. We will need to make sure we have plenty of provisions to go around." He paused and looked around at the nobles gathered in the room, a fiercely defiant light in his eyes. "_Nothing_ – not man nor beast – will threaten this kingdom and strike fear into its people's hearts. I _will_ do everything in my power to stop them."

Nothing got away with terrorizing _his_ realm. Not if he had anything to say about it. And he _definitely_ did – those beasts, whatever the hell they were, would soon wish they hadn't set a foot in Camelot. And then, he was going to go after the undoubtedly evil sorcerers who set them loose and make them _pay_ for even daring to touch a part of something he cared for so deeply.

Ever since Morgana's betrayal and attack on Camelot, he'd found himself having to take charge more and more often as his father's mental state worsened. There wasn't a day where he didn't suffer doubts about having to take full command over the kingdom and make life-or-death decisions, but in the light of attacks such as these, he didn't exactly have a choice. It was his duty to protect his people, and if that meant pushing aside the hurt and pain upon his own sister's treachery, and ceaseless worry over his father, then so be it.

And Prince Arthur was _not_ a force to be reckoned with when one messed with his people.

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><p><strong>AN****-** *sing-song tone* fore_shadowing_~! :D Step back, peoplez, Arty-boy ain't happy.

To quote Dodo – 'Merls, boy, you so bipolar'. (Thanks for ze beta'ing, too, by the way :D). But hey, he's got his reasons. Good ones too, they are.

Good start to the story? This will have a pretty dark mood, I'm guessing, but there will be bromance galore, of course (duh! It's Arthur and Merlin!), and …more bromance, and BAMF moments, and Gwaine. Yes, he does need a special mention. I gotta keep you guys reading somehow, and what better way than to promise our favouritest ever roguish knight? ;D

Reviews muchly appreciated. ;)

~izzy


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